Safety device foe geain mills



(No Model.)

L. WAGNER.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR GRAIN MILLS.

No. 411,404. Patented Sept. 17, 1889.

. WITNESSES: 5 V t] m INVENTOR:

M 7 BY 3.vaanvw- ATTQRNEY.

N. PETERS. Phulo-Llflwgmphen Wasiainglen. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT UEETCE.

LOUIS lVAGNER, OE" BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNORv OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN MARR, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR GRAIN-NHLLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,404, dated September 17', 1889.

Application filed June 10, 1889. Serial No. 313,694. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: An enlarged movable sectionEis between the Be it known that I, LOUIS AGNER, a cititwo stationarysections and serves as a union. zen of the United States, residing at Balti- The movable section at its top is contracted more, in the State of Maryland,have invented and has a throat f, which receives loosely but certain new and useful Improvements in snugly the lower end of the first section I),-

Safety Devices for Grain-Mills, of which the and at its bottom is also contracted and havfollowing is a specification. ing a nozzle g, which enters loosely into the This invention relates to a safetydevice for upper end of the second section D. By this mills. construction the enlarged section E, while to The object of the invention is to provide serving as a union,als0 forms a chamber that means for rendering explosions in mills harmis movable up and down, but does not break less, and to prevent fires that usually follow its connection from the other two conduit-secsuch explosions. This end is accomplished tions. by the devices illustrated in the accompany The vertically-movable section E at its 15 ing drawings, in whichlower part or annulus has a damper h, which Figure 1 is an elevation, partly sectional, is opened and closed by the means hereinafof the improved safety device. Fig. 2 is a ter described. The section E is supported by side view of a part of the apparatus. Fig. 3 a beam I, which is pivoted at j to a hanger K. is a horizontal section of same on the line 3, This beam at one end has two arms Z, each of 20 Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a modification of the which takes on an opposite side of the movvalves. able sectionE and engages with suitable ears The invention is designed to be applied to m. At the other end of the pivoted beam I a mills of any kind. In the present instance weight n is suspended to balance or counit is shown as applied to a malt-mill. terpoise movable conduit-section E. This 25 Explosions of the kind here referred to weight hangs from a loose collar or bracketo take place at the grinding parts or rollers a on the beam and is adjustable thereon. Beof the mill, and are believed to arise from the tween the damper a, which is in the movable crushing of some metal, flint, or other foreign section E and the pivoted beam, there is a consubstance contained in the grain. nection which causes the damper to move 0 The invention comprises two distinct feawhenever the beam tilts. This connection in tures--to wit, first, provision for preventing the present instance consists of a bell-crank fire from passing from the mill downward, lever-p, pivoted atqtothesaidmovable section and, second, provision for the harmless es and having one of its arms connected with the cape or.vcnt of fire in case an explosion ocdamper h and its other arm with the beam I,

5 curs. a link r being used to effect the latter con- The letter A designates a malt-mill, of nection. The normal or operative adjustment which the rollers a are indicated by broken of these parts is as follows: The counter lines. The frame 13 supports the mill. A poise weight u must not only elevate and sus hopper or funnel C is below the rollers, and tain the movable section E, but must also 40 a conduit-pipe D, leading from the funnel, sustain the weight of apredeterminedamount serves to conduct the ground grain to an eleof ground grain that will accumulate therein. vator or a receptacle. It is deemed unnec- The damper h and its connection must be essary for the purposes of this description to so adjusted as to be partly open while the show any other part of the mill. The conduit conduit-section E is kept elevated. By the 45 has two disconnected sections, one being the damper h being kept part way open only part 1), immediately below the funnel and the ground grain will not pass down the conattached thereto, and the other the part D a duit as rapidly as it is ground by the mill. short distance below, and which is separated Consequently the ground grain will accumufrom the first. Both of these sections are selate in the chamber of the section E until its 5o cured so as to be immovable or stationary. weight overbalances the weightu, suspended I00 from the beam. Then the conduitsection E will descend, and thereupon the damper h will be fully opened and the accumulation of ground grain will be at once discharged down the conduit D. Immediately on this discharge the conduit-section E will be raised and the damper h again set part Way open and the accumulation of ground grain will be resumed. By this method of maintaining an accumulation or storage of ground grain in the conduit the said grain-storage will prevent fire from passing downward.

A vent-flue S is provided to allow of the harmless escape of fire or other products of explosion. This flue connects with the mill hopper or funnel 0, below the rollers, and may lead therefrom in any direction to the outside of the building. The hopper orfunnel is provided with two valves. One, If, is for closing the connection with the conduit D, and the other, it, for closing the connection with the vent-flue S. The two valves are connected so that when the one is open the otheris closed. This connection is shown in Fig. 2. Each valve is mounted 011 a rock-shaft 1;,which projects through the wall of the funnel, and the exterior ends of the said shaft have arms w, which are connected by a rod 00. As in the present instance, one valve t has a greater movement than the other. The connectingrod 00 has a slot y at one end to accommodate this movement. Normally the conduit-valve If stands open and the vent-flue valve to closed. Upon the occurrence of an explosion the ventvalve will at once open and the conduit-valve close.

Any equivalent device may be used instead of the damper it. So far as concerns this part all that is necessary is that some device equivalent to the damper shall be used to coact with the vertically-movable section E in such manner that when the said section lowers the grain accumulated therein will at once discharge, and when the said section is raised the accumulation of ground grain will recommence.

The rock-shaft valves 6 u may be constructed in any desired way, and the connection between the valves may vary from that shown. My invention, therefore, is not limited in that particular. As an illustration of this, refererence is made to Fig. Here the valve t, which closes the conduit, and the valve to, which closes the vent-flue, are connected on one and the same shafto. hen an explosion occurs, the vent-valve will open and the conduit-valve close. An arm and weight attached to the rock-shaft o are indicated at z by broken lines, and serve to hold the valves to the position they may be placed in.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, with the grain-mill, of a funnel, a ground-grain conduit D, and also a vent-flue S, leading from the funnel, and two valves in the funnel, each mounted on arockshaft, one closing connection with the conduit and the other closing connection with the vent fine, and a connection between said two valves whereby one is opened when the other closes.

2. The combination, with a grain-mill, of a funnel, a ground-grain conduit D, and also a vent-Ii ue S, leading from the funnel, a valve closing connection with the conduit, a valve elosin g connection with the vent-flue, and said valves mounted on separate rock-shafts provided with arms, and a rod connecting the arms, whereby when one valve opens the other valve will close.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of three witnesses.

LOUIS WAGNER. WVitnesses:

JOHN E. MoRRIs, A. O. BABENDREIER, FELIX R. SULLIVAN. 

